Germantown White House

Germantown White House
Germantown White House
Germantown White House is located in Pennsylvania
Location: 5442 Germantown Avenue
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates: 40°2′1.6″N 75°10′18.4″W / 40.033778°N 75.171778°W / 40.033778; -75.171778Coordinates: 40°2′1.6″N 75°10′18.4″W / 40.033778°N 75.171778°W / 40.033778; -75.171778
Area: < 1-acre (4,000 m2)
Built: 1752
Architect: David Deshler
Governing body: National Park Service
NRHP Reference#: 72000095[1]
Added to NRHP: January 13, 1972

The Germantown White House (formerly the Deshler-Morris House[2], Deshler House or Perot-Morris House) is a historic mansion in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the scene of fighting in the Battle of Germantown, and it is the oldest surviving presidential residence, having twice sheltered George Washington during his term of office.

Contents

Construction and ownership

The house takes its former name from its first and last owners: David Deshler, who built it beginning in 1752; and Elliston P. Morris, who donated it to the National Park Service in 1948.

The rear of the house shows the earliest construction.

Deshler, a merchant, bought a 2-acre (8,100 m2) lot from George and Anna Bringhurst in 1751-52, and constructed a four-room summer cottage. Twenty years later he built a 3-story, 9-room addition to the front, creating one of the most elegant homes in the region.

Isaac Franks, a former colonel in the Continental Army, bought the house following Deshler's 1792 death. It was he who rented it to President Washington.

Later, the house was sold to Elliston and John Perot, and in 1834 to Elliston's son-in-law, Samuel B. Morris. The Morris family lived in the house for over a hundred years, before its 1948 dontation to the National Park Service.

History

Revolutionary War

On October 4, 1777, it was a scene of fighting in the Battle of Germantown, after which British General Sir William Howe occupied the house.

1793

When the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 struck Philadelphia, President Washington remained in the city until September, before making his regular autumn trip home to Mount Vernon. He and a small group of servants returned in early November, but Philadelphia was under quarantine and they were rerouted to Germantown, then ten miles (16 km) outside the city.[3]

He first occupied the Dove House, the headmaster's residence for Germantown Academy (now extensively altered and part of Pennsylvania School for the Deaf). He also traveled to Reading, Pennsylvania, 60 miles (96 km) northwest of the city, to see if it would make a suitable emergency capital.

Returning to Germantown, from November 16 to 30, he occupied the Isaac Franks house. His wife Martha, two of her grandchildren, Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis, and more of their servants and staff joined him late in the stay.

1794

The following September and October, Washington and his family returned to the Franks house for vacation, although he left early to deal with the Whiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania. He met there four times with his cabinet: Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Attorney General Edmund Randolph, and Secretary of War Henry Knox. The President posed for painter Gilbert Stuart, who kept a studio nearby, and the family attended the German Reformed Church across the square.

Four enslaved servants were held by the Washingtons at the Franks house: Oney Judge, Austin (her brother), Moll, and Hercules.

Preservation

Restored second floor dining room

The house is administered by Independence National Historical Park and operated by the Volunteers of the Deshler-Morris House Committee, Inc. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and it is a contributing property of the Colonial Germantown Historic District.

In 2009, the National Park Service changed the official name from the "Deshler-Morris House" to the "Germantown White House."

Bringhurst House

The Bringhurst House, neighboring the Germantown White House on the northwest, was originally owned by John Bringhurst (February 19, 1725 – March 18, 1795), a carriage builder and inventor of the "Germantown Wagon"; in 1780 he built a carriage for George Washington. His estate consisted of 19 acres (77,000 m2) in Germantown, and was eventually split up by his heirs. Today, near the current historic site, "Bringhurst Street" is a street named after him which lies on the edge of his former land.[4]

Lieutenant Colonel John Bird was "lying sick" in the Bringhurst House when the American army attacked on the morning of October 4, 1777. Bird arose from bed to lead his men, but was mortally wounded in the battle. Although a surgeon tried to treat him in Melchoir Meng's house situated on what is now a part of Vernon Park, he was carried back to the Bringhurst House, where he died.[4]

In 1973, the Bringhurst house was donated to the National Park Service from the Germantown Savings Bank in order to "assure access, light, and air for the historic structure". The Bringhurst property is currently in the process of conversion into an exhibition space and welcome center for the Germantown White House landscape.[5]

See also

  • President's House (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Washington's executive mansion, 1790-97.
  • Oney Judge, enslaved maid of Martha Washington.
  • Hercules (chef), enslaved cook for Washington's presidential household.
  • Tobias Lear V, Washington's secretary.

References

Further reading

  • Marion, John Francis, Bicentennial City: Walking Tours of Historic Philadelphia. Princeton: The Pyne Press, 1974.
  • Jenkins, Charles F., The Guide Book to Historic Germantown. Germantown Historical Society, 1973.
  • Jenkins, Charles F., Washington in Germantown. Philadelphia: Canterbury Press, 1905.
  • "Deshler-Morris House." National Park Service brochure. Independence National Historic Park.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Colonial Germantown Historic District — U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark District …   Wikipedia

  • Deshler-Morris House — Infobox nrhp name = Deshler Morris House nrhp type = caption = location = 5442 Germantown Avenue Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA lat degrees = 40 lat minutes = 2 lat seconds = 1.6 lat direction = N long degrees = 75 long minutes = 10… …   Wikipedia

  • Germantown, Louisville — Germantown is a neighborhood three miles southeast of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Germantown is also a general term for an area of Louisville from the Original Highlands to St Joseph and Bradley neighborhoods that were predominantly… …   Wikipedia

  • Germantown High School (Germantown, Tennessee) — Infobox Secondary school name = Germantown High School established = 1910 (at present location) city = Germantown state = Tennessee country = USA campus = Suburban type = Public principal = Head Principal: Mr. Mike McIntyre Vice Principal: Mrs.… …   Wikipedia

  • Germantown, Montgomery County, Maryland — Infobox Settlement official name = Germantown, Maryland settlement type = CDP nickname = motto = imagesize = image caption = image imagesize = image caption = image mapsize = 250x200px map caption = Location of Germantown, Maryland mapsize1 = map …   Wikipedia

  • Germantown Hills, Illinois — Geobox|Settlement name = Germantown Hills native name = other name = category = Village etymology = official name = motto = nickname = image caption = symbol = country = United States state = Illinois region = Woodford region type = County… …   Wikipedia

  • Batalla de Germantown — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Batalla de Germantown Parte de Guerra de la Independencia de los Estados Unidos Tropas americanas asediando un edificio en la Batalla de …   Wikipedia Español

  • Battle of Germantown — The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777 at Germantown, Pennsylvania. The British victory in this battle ensured that Philadelphia, the capital of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark White (Tennessee politician) — Hoyt White, usually known as Mark White (born March 11, 1950, Union City, Tennessee) is a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He represents House District 83, which includes Germantown, Bartlett, Cordova and portions of… …   Wikipedia

  • Joseph Priestley House — The Joseph Priestley House was the American home of 18th century British theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, educator, and political theorist Joseph Priestley (1733 ndash;1804) from 1798 until his death in 1804. Located in… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”